


Co-Pilot

by FerretShark



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Aunt May is the real superhero, Brief mention of animal death, Figuring Things Out, Found Family, Gen, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, May Parker is amazing, Missing Scene, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Rabies, SET AFTER HOMECOMING, Setting Terms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:07:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FerretShark/pseuds/FerretShark
Summary: "“May? It’s Tony. So first of all, he’s fine. I wanted to get that out of the way.”  He’s talking fast, intent to reassure her. She appreciates that.May lets out a breath. It’s not quite relief, but at least an adjustment of expectation.“So he, uh, he found - a bat, in Flushing Park..."OrMay Parker defines terms and Tony listens.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 29
Kudos: 127





	Co-Pilot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Grace_d](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grace_d/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Grace!!

May’s night has started with a solitary dinner then laundry and ended on the couch. She‘s not waiting per se because as the days advance toward summer, the hours of daylight grow. Peter’s out later and later and she’s fine with that. Really.

She’s decided what he needs is support and she’s going to provide it. Even if part of her would like to wrap him up in bubble wrap and keep him safe at home, she’s decided she’s not going to be that person. But god is it hard some days. 

She can’t stop herself from listening at night for the faint sounds of his window opening. She’s feeling ancy today, unsettled. The news offers no help or answers. There hasn’t been any new Spider-man sightings on Instagram. She deliberately closes the app and sets her phone aside. Nothing good can come from that.

She picks a book from the unread stack on her bedside dresser and settles in to read it. She might even break out the fudge ripple ice cream. Why not? It’s a Tuesday.

It’s just past six when the phone rings. Her eyes flicker to the Caller ID. It’s not Peter, but that makes it worse because there can’t be a good reason that _he’s_ calling. She used to get calls like this from the school nurse, May holding her breath waiting to find out how Peter had gotten hurt this time. 

She blinks away the memories, steels herself and answers. “Hello?”

“May? It’s Tony. So first of all, he’s fine. I wanted to get that out of the way.” He’s talking fast, intent to reassure her. She appreciates that.

May lets out a breath. It’s not quite relief, but at least an adjustment of expectation.

“So he, uh, he found - a bat, in Flushing Park. And it was pretty sickly and well...”

“Oh god.” May chokes a bit, her mind going _there_ , tuning him out for a moment. Bats out in daylight… She bites her lip and asks the question. “Was it rabid?”

He goes silent for a moment. “Um, yeah.”

A hysterical little laugh escapes before she can call it back. She leans forward pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand. He’s silent and she can tell she’s shocked him a bit. She clears her throat.

“But he’s ok? You said that. He’s ok.” She’s off the couch and pacing.

“Yeah he’s ok.” He pauses for a beat. “Sad about the bat though.”

“Jesus, Peter,” she mutters, pressing the heel of her hand to her head. She tries to roll with these things but sometimes it feels like the hits just keep coming. 

Tony takes her silence as permission to start talking again, “So I got someone in and we started the post-exposure rabies protocol. He’ll need some more shots, Happy’ll pick him up from school those days. I’ll text you the schedule.”

“Um ok. More shots, got it.” She already knows she has a date with a search engine and a sleepless night fueled by visions of rabid bats ahead of her.

He pauses. “You all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine… but actually, no.” The admission surprises her a little. “It’s just, first spiders, and now _bats_? Where does it end, you know?” She usually hides the frustration from Peter but she feels like Tony can take it. 

“Yeah, I think I do.” Tony’s words are laced with wry knowing. and for a moment she’s glad he seems to understand. There’s a muffled conversation on his end, then he’s back on the line. “May, you still there? Ok, he’s done. We’re bringing him home.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you when you get here.”

She launches herself through the apartment, tossing the folded laundry in bins and drawers. It’s a whirl of anxiety-induced motion. Anything to keep herself from spiraling into fevered worries fueled by WebMD.

It feels like no time before May hears the key in the lock and takes a deep breath, releasing the worry and donning a bright smile. Peter can’t see her worry, because then he’ll worry and she can’t take that right now. She needs to see him in one piece before she can contemplate letting herself fall apart.

To her surprise it’s not Peter that pushes the door open, it’s Tony. Peter’s a pale specter behind him in the hallway. 

When she gets a good look at him her heart melts.

There are purple smudges under his eyes and a defeated slope to his stance. She has her arms around him in a second. “Oh sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m ok,” he mumbles into her shoulder. But he’s not really, he's got a huge heart and blames himself not only for every crime in Queens that he doesn’t stop, but also apparently for the death of unfortunate rodents. It’s one of the things she loves about him, but also tries to curb. He can’t carry the weight of the whole borough though god knows he tries. 

“I know I shouldn’t have touched it, but I thought I could maybe help it. I don’t know.” He sniffs.

She steps back, slow to let go, but Peter doesn’t move.

“Ok, enough of the _Walking Dead_ routine. Let’s go.” Tony steers him by the shoulders out of the doorway and into the apartment, closing the door behind them. A little life comes back to Peter’s eyes as the surprise shakes him out of his melancholy. 

May tries to capitalize on that and strikes an upbeat tone. “Are you hungry, sweetheart? We have leftover lasagna? Frozen pizza? Ice cream?” 

“Yeah, are you hungry, bud?” Tony asks, taking his cue from her. 

“No, um no thanks. I don’t–” Peter presses his lips together in a tight line. “I’m just really tired. I think I’m just gonna head to bed.”

“Oh, ok.” She softens her tone. “Whatever you need.”

There’s a little flash of a smile. “Thanks May.”

He should really brush his teeth but she thinks she’ll let it slide tonight. She watches as he disappears into his room and shuts the door behind him. 

Tony drops a black canvas tote on the couch. May thinks it probably has the Spider-Man suit in it. Hopefully sanitized. She expects that he’s about to make his excuses and book a hasty retreat, but he surprises her by lingering. 

Just when it starts to edge into awkward he looks to her. “Is that normal?”

“What?” She’s surprised by the question and it makes her blink. She doesn’t get to see Tony often but Peter talks about him all the time. She tries to follow the thread of the man’s thoughts, but she doesn’t have to wait long for him to explain.

“I mean, he’s ok, right? He didn’t say much in the car and he’s not eating. Is it normal?”

“Oh.” She leans back against the counter and gives him a tight smile. “That’s kids. You worry when they’re doing things like sneaking out and then you worry when they spend 10 hours on the couch. It’s just—that’s just the way it is.” She laughs. “It can be tough, but he’s all right or he will be.”

Tony’s eyes cast over to the closed bedroom door and from there to the floor. “How do you handle that?” He sounds genuinely bemused. “All the…” He swallows. “Worry?”

“I’m sorry?” May can’t keep the note of genuine surprise out of her voice. 

“You know. With the kid” He swallows and gestures vaguely. “There’s a lot of worry.”

May takes a deep breath. She knows this talk has been coming, but she’s been putting it off. Tony’s been inching his way into their lives for a while now and May worries about the hole he’s going to leave, when he finally moves on. She should have addressed this weeks ago, but Peter had been so excited to get the suit back and Tony seemed to be carving out a place for himself.

It had never seemed like the right time, but it looks like the right time has arrived on her doorstep - literally. There’s something she needs to say. She steels herself for the tough talk ahead because she needs to make this very clear. 

“Listen, Tony.” Her tongue trips over the name a bit, but she sticks the tone, polite but firm. “We need to talk.” 

She can see she has his undivided attention now. He’s watching her, expression wary. She powers on. 

“If you think that _this_ ” —she gestures to their small apartment and all that is inherent within it— “all of this and the worry is something that you cannot handle. Well, I want you to turn around, go out that door and keep on walking because he can’t lose something - someone else.” She points to the closed door. “You can’t be here one minute and gone the next. He doesn’t deserve to lose anything else. Capisce?”

She can feel the fire in her eyes and she lets him see it. She wants him to understand. If he hurts her kid, he is going to answer to May Parker and he will live to regret it. 

Tony’s watching her, eyes clear and earnest. “He’s not going to lose me.” He seems a little surprised at his own admission, but he covers it with a sniff before launching into deflection. “Besides, I’ve got to protect my investment. We’re already several million dollars in at this point.” His mouth quirks up. May thinks it's an apology for bringing up the money.

She knows the amount must be staggering, she’s seen the suit. She presses him though because Spiderman is one thing but Peter is entirely another matter. She needs to know he understands that. “‘Not going to lose you’? What does that mean exactly?”

He seems to deflate a bit under her gaze. “I mean, look. I know I’m no one’s first choice for a mentor. But he’s a good kid, hell, he's a _great_ kid and I think I can help him reach his potential. Maybe not make some of the mistakes that—that I did.” He winces. “There are no guarantees, of course. But I mean, I _am_ Ironman.”

And just like that his ego is back, front and center and she gives a wry laugh while she considers. Peter’s slipped into a world where she can’t follow, no matter how much she’d like to. For the first time she thinks that perhaps this could work. Maybe Tony could help him navigate the uncharted waters of being a superhero. And May can be there for him when he falls, because he will fall. She can help bandage his cuts and help him make peace with the ones he can’t save. She can be his port in the storm. A calm pool of strength settles in her gut. 

“Ok.”

Tony looks startled. “Ok? You mean _ok_ –ok?”

May rolls her eyes. “I _mean_ , let’s see how it goes. But I know there are some things he can’t talk to me about. I mean he can—he always can, and he knows that—but... I can’t give him the perspective you can. Not about the suits, or the science.” She sighs and then turns serious again. “But homework needs to come first, he needs to keep his options open. And, Tony, I just want to make it clear that if his schoolwork suffers, so will you.” She smiles pointedly. 

Tony swallows. “I think that’s fair.” He sniffs and shifts abruptly, pulling sunglasses out of his pocket, slipping them on and effectively ending their conversation. May feels like they’ve reached an understanding though.

“So... shots?” she prompts as he makes his way to the door.

He startles, flipping his wrist up to check his watch. “Well, I guess it’s always five o’clock somewhere, right?”

May squeezes her eyes shut as she follows his train of thought with sudden clarity. “No. I meant _Peter’s_ shots.” 

“Oh.” There’s a blink and he’s recovered. “Yep. Three more. Can’t have a rabid Spider-Man terrorizing New York.” He opens the door.

She follows him, choking on a laugh. “God, could you imagine?” She could but she doesn’t want to.

He huffs an aborted chuckle that ends in a wince. “Yeah, let’s not. Night, May!” And with that, careful to pull the door gently closed on his way out, Tony is gone. 

“Night, Tony,” she says softly to herself, turning the lock with a tired yet relieved smile.

May turns back to the quiet apartment, it feels fuller now. She moves around turning off the extra lights. She likes to leave them on for Peter in spite of the added expense. May wants him to have something bright to come home to. 

Overall, she feels better about the Spiderman situation as a whole. May contemplates the closed bedroom door on her way back to her book. Peter is her whole life and the last link she has to Ben, she wanted him to have the best life she can possibly provide. She hasn’t figured out yet exactly how Tony factors into all that yet, but it was starting to feel like a good thing—having someone else in their corner. Maybe not as a parent exactly maybe more like a copilot? A smile turns up her lips at the thought.

May drops back onto the couch and picks up her book. After trying to get through a few pages, she sighs in defeat and reaches for her phone only to think better of it. She heads to the kitchen, maybe she will have that ice cream after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to blondsak for letting me talk through my ideas for this and for helping me to flesh it out. It would not be nearly as good without your help:) Also thank you so much for editing this for me in such a small window of time. I appreciate you so much!!


End file.
